1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique of fabricating a module device in which various circuit devices are mounted on a print circuit board, and more particularly to a module device testing apparatus and method that is adaptive for testing a large number of module devices at the same time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a conventional module device is fabricated by carrying out a step of printing a wiring according to a circuit configuration on a print circuit board (PCB), a step of loading various circuit devices including a integrated circuit chip, such as a memory chip, on the PCB printed with the wiring, and a step of soldering various circuit devices loaded on the PCB in such a manner that the circuit devices are connected to the wiring. In the module devices fabricated in this manner, the circuit devices may not be loaded at a predetermined position and also a poor soldering may occur. For these reasons, the module device fabrication method requires a process of testing the module devices so as to judge whether or not any module devices are poor.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional module device testing apparatus includes a socket board 3 provided with a number of sockets 2, a test unit 4 provided with a loading head 6 to mount and release the socket board 3, and a test control box 5 mounted to and released from the test unit 4. Module devices 1 are mounted to or released from the sockets 2 on the socket board 3 with the aid of the loading head 6. If the module devices 1 are mounted to the sockets 2, then they are electrically connected, via the socket board 3, to a main board (not shown) within the test unit 4. Circuit and software for testing the module devices 1 are contained in the test control box 5. The test control box 5 is electrically connected, via a connector installed at the side surface of the test unit 4, to the main board. If the test control box 5 is mounted to the test unit 4 and an electric power is applied to the test control box 5, then a test is performed in accordance with various test parameters of the module device 1. Also, the test is performed within a high temperature chamber or a low temperature chamber so as to be aware of temperature characteristics of the module devices 1.
However, the conventional module device testing apparatus has a drawback in that it must use an expensive test control box 5, and has a problem in that, since the test is carried out at a single layer, the number of module devices 1 capable of being simultaneously tested is limited. In other words, in order to test a large number of module devices 1 at the same time, it is necessary to install a number of testing apparatus on the same plane. Since an area provided with the testing apparatus has a limit, however, the number of module devices 1 to be tested is limited.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method of testing module devices that is capable of simultaneously testing a large number of module devices.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a module device testing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of test units mounted with a plurality of module devices; a high-temperature tunnel with at least two layers; movement means, provided within the high-temperature tunnel, for moving the test units at the same layer and between layers within the high-temperature tunnel; and test means for testing a poor pattern and an electrical characteristic of the module devices progressing within the high-temperature tunnel.
A module device testing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of test units mounted with a plurality of module devices and provided with a tester for testing a poor pattern and an electrical characteristic of the module devices; a high-temperature tunnel with at least two layers; movement means, provided within the high-temperature tunnel, for moving the test units at the same layer and between layers within the high-temperature tunnel; module device loading means for locating the module devices at a loading position of the high-temperature tunnel; module device unloading means for deriving the module devices located at the loading position of the high-temperature tunnel; control means for controlling the movement means within the high-temperature tunnel, the module device loading means and the module device unloading means and for generating an identification information and a control signal of the test units; reading means for supplying the control means with a test result information from the test units; and recording means for recording a producer information of the module devices and the test result information to the module devices.
A module device testing method according to still another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of entering a plurality of module devices into a high-temperature tunnel with at least two layers; making a test of the module devices within the high-temperature tunnel; and deriving the module devices having completed the high temperature test from the high-temperature tunnel.